Jet propulsion means for a boat



Sept. 19, 1967 B. cox ETAL 3,342,032

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United States Patent 3,342,032 JET PROPULSIGN MEANS FOR A BOAT CliffordB. Cox, 320 Oakdale, 1402, Chicago, Ill. 60657, and Joe M. Valdespino,3609 Old Winter Garden Road, Suite E, Orlando, Fla. 32805 Continuationof application Ser. No. 378,312, June 26, 1964, now Patent No.3,288,100, dated Nov. 29, 1966. This application June 29, 1966, Ser. No.561,433

4 Claims. (Cl. 60-221) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A reaction propulsionmeans for a boat including a venturi type aspirator nozzle with meansfor entraining air in a stream of water being forced through the nozzleto propel a boat.

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 378,312,filed June 26, 1964, now Patent No. 3,288,- 100.

This invention relates to aquatic vehicles and to apparatus andequipment for propelling such vehicles by means of a liquid medium at anincreased velocity and with minimum power requirements.

The invention relates particularly to boats which utilize water underpressure for the thrust for moving the same, as well as mechanism forincreasing such thrust without a corresponding increase in the powerrequirements or the size and capacity of the power plant.

Heretofore boats or other aquatic vehicles have been in use propelled bypaddles, sails, and inboard and outboard engines. Also efforts have beenmade toward propelling the boat by means of water under pressuredirected against the water supporting the boat to propel such boatthrough the water. The methods of boat propulsion which required powerof one kind or another have not been equal to modern day demands forspeed and have required larger and larger power plants within the boats;however, the resulting increase in speed has not been commensurate withthe size of the power plants which have been required to produce suchspeed. Likewise the cost of the power plants has increased out ofproportion to the small increase obtained in the velocity of the boat.

It is an object of the invention to provide a boat having a constrictedtunnel lengthwise thereof for the entrapment of water and propulsionmeans in which the water is removed from the surrounding area and forcedunder pressure through a venturi type aspirator nozzle having means forentraining air or other gas in the water under presure to increase thevelocity of the boat.

Another object of the invention is to provide a nozzle with means toentrain a maximum amount of air in proportion to the volume of liquidpassing through the nozz'le.

Another object of the invention is to provide a power unit havinggreater thrust than conventional power plants of the same horsepowerrating or the same thrust with smaller horsepower rating.

A further object of the invention is to provide a boat and propulsionmeans therefor in which the propulsion means will raise and reduce thedraft and coeflicient of friction of the boat in the water.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a boat hull withone or more tunnels along the bottom thereof and with jet propulsionmeans in the forward portion of each tunnel having means for introducingair into the discharge thereof and trapping such discharge within thetunnels so that the boat hull will be supported on bubbles of air.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a bottom perspective of a boat in accordance with the presentinvention and illustrating the position of the venturi type jetpropulsion nozzle;

FIG. 2, a longitudinal section thereof;

FIG. 3, a transverse section on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4, a transverse section on the line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5, an enlarged longitudinal section of the jet propulsion nozzleitself;

FIGS. 6, 7, and 8, enlarged transverse sections on the lines 6-6, 7-7,and 8-8 respectively of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9, a modified form of jet propulsion nozzle illustrating aplurality of nozzles in a series arrangement;

FIG. 10, a view similar to FIG. 5 of a further modified form of nozzle;

FIG. 11, a fragmentary perspective illustrating the steering control andbrakes;

FIG. 12, an enlarged detail section on the line 12-12 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13, a section on the line 13-13 of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14, a bottom plan view of a modified boat having a plurality oftunnels therealong;

FIG. 15, a longitudinal section thereof taken along one of the tunnels;

FIG. 16, a front elevation of the boat of FIG. 14;

FIG. 17, a section taken on the line 17-17 of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18, a section taken on the line 18-18 of FIG. 17;

FIG. 19, a bottom perspective of a further modified boat of the trimarantype;

FIG. 20, a front elevation thereof;

FIG. 21, a section on the line 21-21 of FIG. 20; and

FIG. 22, an enlarged fragmentary section on the line 22-22 of FIG. 19.

Briefly stated the present invention is a boat having a hull with one ormore tunnels or longitudinal concavities disposed lengthwise thereofalong the bottom from the bow to the stern and such tunnels orconcavities preferably are relatively shallow at the bow and increasesharply in the forward mid-ship portion and then decrease graduallytoward the stem. The hull is adapted to be propelled by jet propulsionmeans and includes a venturi type aspirator nozzle located forwardly ofthe center of gravity of the boat and connected to a water pump drivenby any suitable source of power such as an internal combustion engine,which receives water from scoops located in the bow of the boat andforces such water through the venturi nozzle. The source of powerpreferably is mounted in the forward portion of the midship section sothat the weight distribution will be concentrated about the center ofgravity of the boat. Air is admitted to the discharge or negativepressure side of the venturi nozzle to increase the thrust as Well as tolift the boat and reduce frictional drag thereon.

With continued reference to the drawings, a boat 20 is provided having abow portion 21, a midship portion 22, and a stern portion 23. The bowportion preferably is shaped to direct spray, caused by the moving ofthe boat through the water, inwardly and downwardly beneath the boat.The midship portion is provided with relatively straight sidesterminating in a hard chine 24 and the stern portion 23 terminates in atransom 25.

If desired, a skeg 24' of conventional construction may be locatedbeneath both sides of the hull adjacent to the chine 2 4 to preventskidding when the boat is turned. The bottom of the boat has a concavetunnel or concavity 26 extending longitudinally thereof. The tunnel 26has a relatively shallow portion 27 in the area of the bow portion 21and thereafter such tunnel increases sharply to a relatively deepportion 28 in the forward end of the midship section 22 and thengradually tapers to a relatively shallow portion 29 at the stern. Ifdesired, a trim flap 30 may be disposed in the tunnel 26 adjacent to thestern portion 23, and such trim flap may be mounted on a hinge 31 andcontrolled by an operating lever 32 located within the interior of theboat. An auxiliary baffle 33 is located on each side of the trim flap 30for directing air and water in the tunnel to such trim flap.

A steering control mechanism 35 (FIG. 11) is provided and includes apair of planes or vanes 36, one on each side of the boat extending belowthe water line. For more positive control of the boat, the steeringvanes 36 preferably are disposed along the sides of the boat andpositioned so that when the vanes are operated, the boat will pivotabout the center of gravity and turn in a shorter radius than would bepossible with the rudder at the stern. The vanes normally are disposedin recesses 37 (FIG. 12) in the hull of the boat in such a manner thateither vane can be extended selectively for steering, or both vanes maybe extended simultaneously to pro vide a braking action. Each of thevanes is connected at its forward end to a post 38, and such post may belocated in an enlargement 39 having a thrust washer 40 disposed in thebottom thereof. An O-ring or other packing gland 41 is mounted in theupper portion of the enlargement 39 to permit rotation of the post 38while preventing the ingress of water.

An arm 42 is connected to the upper end of each post, and such arm ispivotally connected by a pin43 to a clevis 44 carried on one end of alink 45. The opposite end of the link is connected by a pivot pin 46 toone end of a control lever 47, and such control lever is pivotallymounted by a pin 48 intermediate its ends to a bracket 49 fixed to thedashboard 50 of the boat. In this manner when the upper portion ofeither operating lever 47 is moved forwardly, the lower end of suchlever and the link 45 connected thereto will be moved rearwardly, whichin turn rotates the post 38 and causes the vane 36 to extend outwardlyfrom the boat. When the vane is extended, it will form an obstructionand cause the boat to turn. If both vanes are extended simultaneously,they will function as brakes to retard the progress of the boat throughthe water. Also the vanes may be extended in varying amounts to functionas brakes and steering control at the same time.

The vanes 36 preferably are located forwardly of the center of gravityand buoyancy of the boat and if desired, auxiliary vanes 36' shown inphantom in FIG. 1 may be located rearwardly thereof for more positivecontrol. The auxiliary vane 36 on the port or left side of the boat isconnected to the control lever 47 which operates the vane 36 on thestarboard or right side of the boat and the auxiliary vane 36 on thestarboard side of the boat is connected to the control lever 47 whichoperates the vane 36 on the port side. The vanes on opposite sides ofthe boat and on opposite sides of the center of gravity cooperate toturn the boat in each direction. The auxiliary vanes 36 preferably arepivoted along the trailing edge so that they form a pocket whenoperated.

The venturi type jet propulsion includes a pair of water scoops 53located below the water line of the forward portion of the boat, andsuch scoops are adapted to direct the water inwardly and upwardly into apump 54 connected by a flexible coupling 55 to a transmission or marineconverison unit 56. The transmission may be driven by an internalcombustion engine 57 so that the pump may be driven at any desiredspeed. Desirably, the transmission 56 and engine 57 are located in theforward part of the midship portion 22 and about the center of gravityand buoyancy of the boat for better balance. The pump discharges waterthrough a discharge pipe 58 into a venturi type nozzle 59 located in therelatively deep portion 28 of the tunnel Z6 and preferably ahead of thecenter of gravity to lift the bow slightly.

The nozzle 59 includes a body 60 having a cylindrical bore 61 in one endwhich terminates in a high pressure frustoconical converging portion 62leading into a constricted throat 63 and then into a frusto-coniealdiverging discharge portion 64 in which a negative pressure is createdwhen the nozzle is in operation. The discharge portion 64 has a mouth ordischarge opening 64' of a diameter less than the diameter of thecylindrical bore 61. The lamina-r flow of the water is adapted to be disrupted in any desired manner as by a twisted vane or anger 65 fixedwithin the cylindrical bore 61 to create turbulence in the form of aspiral or helical path. A ring 66 having a sharp edged orifice 67 ismounted within the constricted throat 63 to encourage a strong negativepressure in the diverging discharge portion 64 and to increase thevelocity of the stream of water passing therethrough while the pressureremains substantially constant.

The body 60 is provided with a projection 68 having an opening 69extending radially through the body into the diverging portion 64 inspaced relation to the constricted throat 63. A hose or other conduit 70is attached to the projection 68 by means of a clamp 71, and such hoseis connected to a source of air supply such as the exhaust manifold 72of the internal combustion engine 57 for removing noxious and toxicgases therefrom. A relief valve 73 is interposed in the hose 70 topermit additional air under atmospheric pressure to enter the hose aftera predetermined vacuum has been reached.

As the water passes through the nozzle 59, the laminar flow is disruptedby the auger 65 which causes turbulence after which the water is forcedthrough the orifice 67 in the constricted throat 63. Since the water isunder a predetermined pressure, the velocity of such water is greatlyincreased as it passes through such orifice while the pres sure remainssubstantially constant. When the water enters the diverging dischargeportion 64 of the nozzle, the velocity thereof tends to decrease due tothe spreading out of the water in the enlarging cross-sectionaldiverging portion 64, as well as the suctional drag created within thenegative pressure area.

The negative pressure in the diverging portion will draw air through theopening 69 and will cause such air to be entrained in the water torelieve such negative pressure and increase the volume of the water andthereby alter the specific gravity thereof to accelerate the flow offluid through the nozzle. Also, the negative pressure within the venturiwill draw in air which will occupy part of the space occupied by thewater and cause the water to flow at an accelerated rate. It is notedthat the hot air and gases from the internal combustion engine tend toexpand more rapidly and to be entrained more easily in the water.

The mixture of air and water discharged from the nozzle is trappedwithin the tunnel of the boat and since the specific gravity of suchmixture is less than the surrounding water, a body of air will becreated which will tend to lift the boat and reduce the coeificient offriction on the hull and thereby increase the acceleration and velocityof the boat.

A smaller non-aspirating nozzle 74 is connected to the discharge pipe 58by a swivel valve 75 which can be opened or closed and directionallycontrolled in any conventional manner. The nozzle 74 is used to move theboat in reverse as well as for minor steering effects.

The trim flap 30 may be lowered to cause the stern portion 23 to riseslightly and thereby cause the boW portion 21 to remain in the water sothat water will enter the scoops 53 regardless of the speed of the boat.

With reference to FIG. 9, a modified form of nozzle is provided in whicha plurality of venturi type nozzles are staged in end-to-end relation.In this modification, the first venturi type nozzle 59 discharges amixture of Water and air into a sleeve 76 connected by a coupling 77 toa second venturi type nozzle 78 having a slightly larger constrictedthroat 79 and a slightly larger diverging portion 80. The second nozzle78 has an opening 81 which is slightly larger than the opening 69 in thenozzle 59 so that a greater amount of air and gas can be entrainedWithin the fluid being discharged which will further increase thevelocity thereof. It is contemplated that additional nozzles could beadded to further increase the velocity and thrust of the water beingdischarged.

With reference to FIG. 10, another modified form of nozzle 82 isdisclosed having an opening 83 for admitting air into the divergingportion of the nozzle and such opening terminates in an internal groove84 to expose a greater amount of air to the water and thereby cause agreater amount of air to be entrained therein. Since the water is movingthrough the venturi nozzle in a spiral pattern, it is desirable to havethe groove follow such pattern to take advantage of the movement of thestream of water to entrain a maximum amount of air therein. If desired,the groove 84 may be replaced with a series of orifices which would havesubstantially the same result.

With reference to FIGS. 1418, a modified form of boat hull 85 isprovided having a relatively deep central portion 86 and relativelyshallow side portions 87 connected to the central portion bylongitudinal tunnels or concavities 88, each of which is similar inconstruction to the tunnel 26. Each of the tunnels has a relativelyshallow portion 89 adjacent to the bow portion of the boat andthereafter the height of the tunnel increases sharply to a relativelydeep portion 90 and then gradually tapers to a relatively shallowportion 90 at the stern of the boat. The relatively deep central portion86 will provide stability for the hull 85 and the spray and foam causedby the passage of the boat through the water will be directed into andtrapped within the tunnels 88.

A venturi type aspirator nozzle 59 is located in the rel atively deepportion 90 of each tunnel, such nozzles being mounted on swivelconnections 91 and operated in any desired manner. Water under pressureis supplied to the nozzle 59 through scoops 53, pump 54, transmission56, engine 57, and discharge pipes as previously described. Instead of asingle discharge pipe 58, and a single air hose 70, a discharge pipe 58'is provided from the pump to each of the nozzles and normally suppliesan equal amount of water under pressure to each nozzle and an air hose70' connects each nozzle to the engine 57. If desired, a valve 92 may beinterposed in each discharge pipe 58' and a valve 93 may be interposedin each air hose 70' to assist in steering the boat or to provide forspecial effects such as maintaining a true course in a quartering sea.The valves 92 and 93 may be operated directly or from a remote positionto regulate the amount of water and air being discharged from each ofthe nozzles.

A selectively operable auxiliary nozzle 94 is connected to each of thedischarge pipes 58' to serve as a reverse for the boat and to providespecial steering effects.

With reference to FIGS. 19-22, a modified form of boat 100 is providedhaving a trimaran type of hull. Such hull includes a central or mainhull 101 and a pair of outrigger auxiliary hulls 102, one locatedoutwardly of each side of the main hull and connected thereto by anintermediate deck or bridge 103. This type of boat normally is used as asailboat and includes a mast 104 on which the sail is mounted. However,it is desirable to provide an auxiliary means of propulsion forpropelling the boat under power when desired.

This is accomplished by providing a relatively small internal combustionengine 105 located in the forward portion of the main hull 101 andadapted to drive a transmission 106. Such transmission is connected todrive a water pump 107 which receives water from a pair of scoops 108located in the bow of the boat, and such pump discharges the water underpressure through a pair of discharge pipes 109 into venturi type nozzles59. The nozzles 59 are located in the channel between the main hull 101and the auxiliary hulls 102 on each side and forwardly of the engine 105to provide twin jets for propelling and lifting the boat. Each of thenozzles 59 is connected by an air hose 70' to the exhaust manifold 110of the engine 105, and such hose has a relief valve 111 to provide anauxiliary source of air under atmospheric pressure when required tosatisfy the demands of the nozzles 59. It is contemplated that thedischarge pipes 109 may be controlled by independent valves 112 so thatthe boat can be steered by the propelling means merely by controllingthe supply of water under pressure through the discharge pipes, or theboat may have a steering control mechanism with vanes 36 as previouslydescribed.

In the operation of the device, Water is caused to enter the scoops 53or 108 and such water is directed to the pump 54 or 107 where it is thendischarged through the discharge pipe 58, 58' or 109 and the venturitype nozzle 59. The nozzle is located within a tunnel 26 or 88 which isfilled with water, and the discharge of the water from the nozzleagainst the water in the tunnel causes a reaction which moves the boatin a forward direction while lifting the bow slightly. The introductionof air into the negative pressure side of the venturi nozzle willincrease the velocity of water passing through such nozzle and therebyincrease the thrust which propels the boat. Simultaneously the mixtureof water and air from the nozzle is of lighter specific gravity than thewater in the tunnel and therefore the water being discharged from thenozzle will tend to lift the boat and reduce the frictional drag on thehull and thereby further increase the velocity of the boat.

It will be apparent that a relatively simple boat and jet propulsionmeans therefor has been provided utilizing a venturi type nozzle whichintroduces air into the stream of Water through the nozzle and therebyincreases the velocity of fluid and the thrust for propelling the boat.

It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that various changes may bemade in the invention Without departing from the spirit and scopethereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which isillustrated in the drawings and described in the specification, but onlyas indicated in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Reaction propulsion means for a boat comprising pump means forlocation in said boat, means for directing water to said pump, means fordriving said pump for discharging Water therefrom under pressure, aventuri type aspirator nozzle connected to the discharge of said pump,said nozzle including a body having a high pressure inlet portion, aconstricted throat portion and a frusto-conical negative pressuredischarge portion, said constricted throat portion having therein meansproviding :an obstruction with a sharp-edged orifice, the outlet openingof said discharge portion being smaller in diameter than the opening ofsaid inlet portion, said body having an aspirator opening extending fromthe exterior thereof into the frustoconical discharge portion in spacedrelation to said throat, and means for admitting air into said aspiratoropening, whereby air from said aspirator opening will be entrained insaid Water under pressure to increase the velocity thereof.

2. The structure of claim 1 including an auger mounted in said highpressure inlet portion to disrupt the laminar flow of water through saidnozzle.

3. The structure of claim 1 in which said aspirator opening admits airunder atmospheric pressure into said frusto-conical discharge portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 436,932 9/1890 Best 1032731,473,037 11/1923 Greig 23092 8 Tanner et a]. 23092 X Boeckeler 23092Evans 103-262 Pedersen et a1. 60221 X Christensen 60-221 X Roulund 60221CARLTON R. CROYLE, Primary Examiner.

1. REACTION PROPULSION MEANS FOR A BOAT COMPRISING PUMP MEANS FORLOCATION IN SAID BOAT, MEANS FOR DIRECTING WATER TO SAID PUMP, MEANS FORDRIVING SAID PUMP FOR DISCHARGING WATER THEREFROM UNDER PRESSURE, AVENTURI TYPE ASPIRATOR NOZZLE CONNECTED TO THE DISCHARGE OF SAID PUMP,SAID NOZZLE INCLUDING A BODY HAVING A HIGH PRESSURE INLET PORTION, ACONSTRICTED THROAT PORTION AND A FRUSTO-CONICAL NEGATIVE PRESSUREDISCHARGE PORTION, SAID CONSTRICTED THROAT PORTION HAVING THEREIN MEANSPROVIDING AN OBSTRUCTION WITH A SHARP-EDGED ORIFICE, THE OUTLET OPENINGOF SAID DISCHARGE PORTION BEING SMALLER IN DIAMETER THAN THE OPENING OFSAID INLET PORTION, SAID BODY HAVING AN ASPIRATOR OPENING EXTENDING FROMTHE EXTERIOR THEREOF INTO THE FRUSTOCONICAL DISCHARGE PORTION IN SPACEDRELATION TO SAID THROAT, AND MEANS FOR ADMITTING AIR INTO SAID ASPIRATOROPENING, WHEREBY AIR FROM SAID ASPIRATOR OPENING WILL BE ENTRAINED INSAID WATER UNDER PRESSURE TO INCREASE THE VELOCITY THEREOF.